Now's the Time to Tell Congress to Ban Carriers From Selling Locked Phones

Late last month, the UK banned carriers from locking smartphones. Now, Wired is reporting that the same thing might happen in the U.S. in 2021, as consumer activists push legislators to do away with some pesky regulations that allow for locked phones in the first place.Read more...
Tags: Gadgets, UK, Science, Smartphones, Dmca, Carriers, Consumer Advocacy, Consumer Tech, Right To Repair, Unlocked phones, Unlock Da Phones, Time to Tell Congress

The Dangers of Automatic Reloading

I received the following email graphic from Starbucks today. I thought, hey that’s a good idea, but then I remembered something from 2015. Reloading for Points ! A while back, I was the victim of a scam using this system. Starbucks’ customer list had been breached. Using that information, bogus Loyalty Cards were created. The scam is well described in the graphic below. This outlines the importance of not turning on Automatic Reloads on any card like the Starbucks Reward Card. ...
Tags: Security, Marketing, Scams, Starbucks, Credit Card, Consumer Advocacy

Consumer Advocacy Group Demands Driving Data Be Controlled by Drivers

The Global Alliance for Vehicle Data Access (GAVDA) has issued a letter to automotive manufacturers around the world to request consumers be given direct access to the data generated by the vehicles they drive. While the group is comprised of organizations representing rental agencies, car sharing, independent vehicle repair shops that also want access to […] The post Consumer Advocacy Group Demands Driving Data Be Controlled by Drivers appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Technology, Laws, Privacy, Repairs, Big Data, Government, Data, Editorials, Personal Data, Autos, Automotive Industry, Consumer Advocacy, AAI, OEMS, Right To Repair, Data AcQuisition

The Hero We Need: Consumer Access to Repair Coalition

When it comes to activism, it’s best to choose your battles carefully. Fortunately, there aren’t too many causes within the auto industry and most are easy to get behind. Even though environmental activists sometimes find themselves at odds with reality, their hearts are usually the right place, and they’ve encouraged automakers to try new and […] The post The Hero We Need: Consumer Access to Repair Coalition appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Technology, Laws, Privacy, Repairs, Big Data, Government, Data, Personal Data, Autos, Automotive Industry, Consumer Advocacy, OEMS, News Blog, Aftermarket, Right To Repair, Repair Coalition

It’s Payback Time: Right-to-repair Movement Targets John Deere

With the California Farm Bureau effectively giving away the right of farmers to repair their own equipment without involving the distributor in the spring of 2019, the right-to-repair movement fell back on its heels. Horrified by the ground lost, the group has rallied to better incorporate those hoping to fix or modify mobile devices and automobiles. […] The post It’s Payback Time: Right-to-repair Movement Targets John Deere appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Farm Equipment, Autos, Consumer Advocacy, John Deere, News Blog, Auto Repair, Vehicle Repair, Right To Repair, Industry Trends, California Farm Bureau, Ownership Laws, Right-to-repair Laws

Consumer Reports: What Are Uber, Lyft Are Doing About Recalls?

As ride-hailing services utilize the personal vehicles of contractors, rather than a commercial fleet of their own, repairs and recalls have to be handled by individual drivers. While it shouldn’t be a revelation that some recalls fall through the cracks, Consumer Reports is concerned that the ratio of unaddressed safety issues are unbecoming of companies pushing multibillion-dollar […] The post Consumer Reports: What Are Uber, Lyft Are Doing About Recalls? appeared first on The Truth About Cars...
Tags: Lyft, Uber, Repairs, Safety, Recalls, Studies, Autos, Auto Recalls, Consumer Reports, Consumer Advocacy, Reports, News Blog, Ride-hailing, Automotive Safety, Studies & Reports, Ride Apps

What It Means To Buy A Video Game

Videos games are an expensive hobby, often demanding a great deal of trust whenever you buy a new one. Buying a game winds up being a number of things. A purchase is a gamble. It’s an encouragement. It’s a participation in exploitation. And it’s a conversation with the many people who brought you the game.Read more...
Tags: Science, Unions, Labor, Consumer Rights, Kotaku Core, Unionization, Consumer Advocacy, SAG AFTRA, BioWare, Game Workers Unite, Mass Effect 3, Life Is Strange Before The Storm

FUD Financial Messages

What is FUD Financial messages? FUD is a technical term from the world of politics where you try to create Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt with your message. FUD is usually a strategy to influence perception by spreading negative and dubious or false information leading to fear-mongering and concerns by the public. Naturally, you do this to create an advantage for yourself, or cast aspersions on an opponent. It is easy to see the power of FUD in the last few elections, but politics is not the only ...
Tags: Investments, Marketing, Investment, Canada, Consumer Advocacy, Index Funds

Are Government Officials Souring On Automotive Autonomy?

Thanks to the incredibly lax and voluntary guidelines outlined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automakers have had free reign to develop and test autonomous technology as they see fit. Meanwhile, the majority of states have seemed eager to welcome companies to their neck of the woods with a minimum of hassle. But things are […] The post Are Government Officials Souring On Automotive Autonomy? appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Uber, Safety, Congress, Government, Regulations, Legislation, Autos, Autonomous Vehicles, Autonomous Cars, Department Of Transportation, Consumer Advocacy, Self-driving Car, Tesla Autopilot, Ntsb, National Transportation Safety Board, Avs

Consumer Groups File FTC Complaint over YouTube Ads Targeting Children

Several consumer and child privacy advocacy groups asked the Federal Trade Commission to examine YouTube's advertising policy and its effect on kids.
Tags: Google, News, Youtube, Consumer Advocacy, Federal Trade Commission, Coppa

Rampant Upselling

Tweet After sitting through another rampant upselling session from my local “Quick Oil Change” place, I have sworn I will not return, it is just too much. All I want is an Oil Change, I do not want: An air filter changed A cabin air filter changed The engine “power flushed” My radiator flushed Differential checked  nor my transmission flushed New tires Nor any of the hundreds of other things they are trying to upsell. Interesting that they were giving away free wiper blades (with a coupon) a...
Tags: Marketing, Consumer Advocacy, Dante, MJ, Michael James, Quick Oil Change

Consumer Reports and Tesla Feud Continues Over Model 3

Tesla Motors and Consumer Reports have enjoyed a fairly contentious relationship with each other over the last few years. The nonprofit consumer advocacy organization had previously slighted the Model S for being unreliable and unsafe, but upgraded that analysis as Tesla continued improving the model. In this year’s consumer survey, the model received higher marks —receiving “above-average reliability for […] The post Consumer Reports and Tesla Feud Continues Over Model 3 appeared first on The T...
Tags: Tesla, Autos, Automotive Industry, Consumer Reports, Model S, Model X, Tesla Motors, Consumer Advocacy, Model 3, News Blog, Rivalries, Reliability Reports

Consumer Reports Restores Half of Tesla’s Missing Points After Braking Update

Tesla Motors has won back some of Consumer Reports’ respect after being criticised for failing to include automatic emergency braking in recently built vehicles. The absence of the safety system really irked CR, resulting in a points deduction on all of the brand’s existing models. Tesla said it was abnormal to see vehicles of the same […] The post Consumer Reports Restores Half of Tesla’s Missing Points After Braking Update appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Safety, Tesla, Autos, Consumer Reports, Model S, Model X, Tesla Motors, Consumer Advocacy, Vehicle Safety, News Blog, Emergency Braking, Auto-braking

Website Takes Aim at the Fine Print in Automotive Advertising

Fine print exist almost entirely to float something egregious under the radar. People get law degrees and spend countless hours decrypting the tiny text to see who got the better of who in a courtroom. If you see fine print in an advertisement, it usually means the drug you desperately need has life-ruining side effects, or the […] The post Website Takes Aim at the Fine Print in Automotive Advertising appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Autos, Consumer Advocacy, Disclaimers, News Blog, Car Dealerships, Dealer News, Automotive Dealerships, Consumer Advocacy Websites, Disclaimers Online

Consumer Reports Takes a Stand Against Goofy Modern Gearshifts

Oddball gearboxes have been around forever. Cord’s 810 had a Wilson preselector back in the 1930s, Chrysler had the the mid-century pushbutton PowerFlite, and Oldsmobile was throwing Hurst Lighting Rods into its H/O cars in the 1980s. However, the overwhelming majority of automatic and manual transmissions have come with a strikingly familiar column or floor-mounted […] The post Consumer Reports Takes a Stand Against Goofy Modern Gearshifts appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
Tags: Technology, Safety, Autos, Chrysler, Consumer Reports, Consumer Advocacy, Wilson, Oldsmobile, News Blog, Automatic Transmissions, Gearboxes, Modern Transmissions, Hurst Lighting Rods

YouTube Kids Faces Further FTC Complaints Related To Junk Food Ads Targeting Young Children

 Consumer watchdog groups announced today they’ve filed additional complaints with the FTC over the advertising content in the YouTube Kids application. The complains this time focus on how the app allows food and drink advertisers to violate the self-regulatory pledges they made as members of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI). That program’s aim…
Tags: Mobile, Apps, Commercials, TV, Kids, Parents, Children, Advertising Tech, Ads, Consumer Advocacy, Youtube Kids, Consumer Watchdog, Ftc

PayPal Claims It Will Allow Customers To Opt-Out Of Robocalls And Texts Permitted In New Policy

 PayPal this week caused an uproar when it rolled out an updated user agreement that added a clause that allowed the company to pester users with robocalls and text messages – not only to the number they provided PayPal, but also to other numbers PayPal is able to obtain. While PayPal at times may need to call or text you regarding account activity or to settle disputes, the new… Read More
Tags: TC, Privacy, Telemarketing, Paypal, Consumer Advocacy, Robocalls, Do Not Call List